As soon as you "come to" in Anchorage, you'll be greeted by a fellow soldier, a man named Sgt. Benjamin Montgomery. After giving you the rundown on the situation, Sgt. Montgomery will scurry off on his own, but not before giving you a key piece of advice. He'll tell you that it's up to you what you do here. Stealth works, and so does the guns-blazing approach. How you go about things is entirely up to you. Keep in mind that you've been automatically equipped with the following: Winterized Combat Armor and a Helmet (both equipped automatically), a Repellent Stick and Trench Knife in addition to the automatically-equipped Silenced 10mm Pistol, and a lone Stealth Boy. Yes, friends -- there are no traditional healing items to use here, even if you had myriad curative items in your inventory before accepting the simulation request.

With Sgt. Montgomery climbing a nearby rockface like he was a commando, you're left to your own devices. Continue along in the opposite direction he's heading, following the linear pathway that hugs the side of the gigantic Alaskan mountain you're currently atop. As the path turns leftward, you'll run into your first enemy, a basic Chinese soldier. His back is turned, so try to get as close to him as you can, and then go for headshots in VATS before he even knows what hit him. This will alert his friends nearby to your presence, so let them come to you, since you don't have a weapon that can deal ranged damage. When you've felled a few, it's safe to proceed. Yes, the Chinese enemies' bodies will disappear when felled, so you can't ransack them for weapons, gear and items. And yes, that red-colored device next to where the Chinese soldier was standing is how you heal. Examine it to fill up those hit points, and continue to be ever-vigilant about finding new health sources going forward.

Begin crossing the bridge you encounter. While there should be fewer enemies on the other side if you let them come to you like we earlier suggested, you'll still have your hands full with Chinese adversaries. Climb the staircases to the right after crossing the bridge, and be prepared to deal with a few foes. After climbing a set of staircases that allow you to go either right or left, opt to go left. While this will put you in a precarious dead end, it will reveal two important items you should grab -- a Sniper Rifle and a Frag Mine (both for use in the simulation only). Also in the mix is another healing station. Let the Chinese come to you once more, using your Sniper Rifle to execute clean headshots of your victims. Then, once healed, head in the other direction, towards the guard tower you were previously being shot at from.

The guard tower has even more goods for you, but first, you're going need to clear the way. If there are enemies remaining in the concrete room, eliminate them. You won't be able to use the bed to rest within, but you will find a Chinese Assault Rifle, two Frag Mines, two Frag Grenades, and your very first ammunition filling station, larger than the healing station, but similar in nature. By examining these devices, all ammunition will be refilled automatically. When you're done, work your way through the other door and back outside. Deal with the pesky Chinese soldiers on the far side of the chasm as you work your way to the white-colored tube bridging the gap. While you can go onto the large pipe and climb up to your left to find a Stealth Boy amongst the empty crates, you'll ultimately want to head to the far side of the of the pit.

Cross the pipe and head to the right. You'll need to zigzag back to the left ahead in order to get to the area above, but first, focus on the soldier on the pipe to your right, who will be taking potshots at you. After eliminating this foe, head leftward and up another path, and then rightward once more. The door ahead, which leads to the Cave Outpost, is guarded by the few remaining Chinese soldiers in the area. Eliminate these adversaries posthaste, and then head through the door they were guarding. Anchorage is cold, of course, so you'll probably be thankful to be inside. Right?

Head forward through the tunnel, and before long, the tunnel will open up into a rocky cavern half-exposed to the outside elements. A few Chinese soldiers will be here, taking brutal potshots at fellow US paratroopers dropping into the fray. They'll likely take out your cohorts, which is the all the more reason to seek revenge on them. Fell any enemies in the area, but before heading across the cavern to the stairs that lead back outside, turn around near your entry point. You should find a table littered with weapons, and a ammo and health refueling station as well. Two Frag Mines, two Frag Grenades, another Chinese Assault Rifle and even some Microfusion Cells can be found. Then, when crossing the snowy cavern to the other side, be sure to find and promptly equip the Gauss Rifle you stumble across on the right side.

Enemy resistance will be sparse for a while; you shouldn't have to deal with more than one or two Chinese soldiers for the next couple of minutes. The path ahead leading out of the cavern is completely linear. When the cavernous approach ends (because you run straight into a chasm), head up the path on your right to the path overlooking the area you just traversed. This will lead back into a more proper pathway, where you'll meet up with an old friend. Before moving forward, feel free to backtrack to refill health and ammunition if needed.

That crazy bastard Sgt. Montgomery will send a dead Chinese soldier through the ceiling before coming down to ground level himself. He's ready to go, and certainly you are too. After speaking with the sergeant briefly, head on through the far door, which will lead to the Anchorage Cliffs. It may seem quiet now, but it's not going to be for long. Begin by heading down the nearby slope until you reach metal stairs and corridors that lead into the distance. You'll want to follow this path, killing Chinese soldiers as you go, until the path splits. While we'll ultimately need to head further out to continue our main quest, why not divert quickly for some goods?

The first piece of intel is located across the chasm via the first white pipe you come across. This is a completely optional area, so you need to make sure to seek it out, since you won't organically stumble upon it. Cross the gap via the white pipe with Sgt. Montgomery in tow. Kill the Chinese soldier(s) guarding this small outpost, and refill your health at the station in the room. Then, seek out a door off of the room that's easy to pick open. Once inside, you'll find a desk. You can read the contents on the computer in the room, but be sure to grab the Bombardment Holotape within, and more importantly, Intel #1.

With the first piece of intel in hand, head back over the pipe and rejoin the main pathway we were earlier traversing. This time, continue on towards yet-unearthed areas. As you reach a small bridge, more Chinese soldiers will show up. Many of them appear to be coming from weird positions on your right, lining the gigantic pit in between the two mountains. The first bridge will ultimately lead to a second. Try to foil your enemies' plans by rushing them. Now that you have Sgt. Montgomery with you, you have plenty of extra firepower to help you survive this area. Bum-rushing the enemy stronghold on the far side of the second, lengthier bridge will perplex your foes and make them easier to deal with now that you've got an extra gun on your side. But before proceeding, you'll want to deviate off of your path to grab some more intel.

This piece of intel will be put in a position much like the last one we found. There's another easy-to-pick locked door on the far side of the last bridge. When the enemy threat in the area is quelled and all is safe, pick the lock open and head into the room it was hiding. This small metallic room will hold another holotape -- the Goodbye Holotape -- as well as Intel #2 sitting on the far end of the square-shaped room. Grab it before proceeding!

Once back outside after grabbing your second piece of intel, head leftward into the Chinese-guarded tunnel. Any straggling Chinese soldiers in the area should be dealt with at this time. Follow the linear pathway to an ammunition refilling station. After refilling your ammo, be sure to grab the Microfusion Cells, Frag Mine, and Frag Grenades nearby. Then, continue along the pathway until you see a building outside across a bridge flying the Chinese flag. To your right is an alternate route, which leads back into a cave. For the sake of this walkthrough, it's the latter path you'll want to take.

Traversing this short cave (full of only a few Chinese resistors) will allow you to completely bypass the bridge approach to the Chinese stronghold. Neglecting to do this, while possible, will put you at the mercy of the Chinese Mark I Turret in the machinegun nest on the left side of the bridge. By following this cave to an alternate perch, however, you can take shots at the Chinese defenders from relative safety, and more importantly, flank the gun turret, as well as the powerful Chinese soldier with the flamethrower. Once all foes are felled in the area, you'll want to climb the stairs on the right side to the room above the doorway we're about to breach. Up here, you'll be able to refill your health but do little else. When you're ready, climb back down and head through the doors into the Chinese bunker.

Things get a little confusing in here, because the route through the building diverges almost immediately. Though the paths will reconnect before long, there are weapons and a piece of intel that's easy to miss if you're not vigilant. So, for starters, begin picking off Chinese soldiers ahead. They'll be right in front of you, as well as on the catwalks above, and down a corridor to your right. The minute you begin shooting, they'll all be alerted to your presence, so be absolutely sure you are prepared to be swarmed by them. Once the primary enemy threat in the area is nullified, it becomes a lot easier to find everything there is to find.

Don't climb up the stairs straight ahead and go into the jumbled catwalk. Instead, walk rightward on the ground level, up a slight ramp, and down the pathway until it swings leftward. It's at this point that you'll run into a plentiful goldmine of goods. Grab a couple of Missiles, more Microfusion Cells, another Sniper Rifle, a Frag Mine and two more Frag Grenades. Then, run upstairs via the staircase to the right. This will lead to a room that will allow you to head forward, continuing with the main mission. But first, you'll want to depart from this path temporarily to get the third piece of intel.

This piece of intel, just like the two before it, is found in a room with an easy-to-pick lock separating you from its contents. To get there from the previous area, swing leftward once you've climbed the stairs. This will lead to a corridor that will ultimately connect to the catwalks in the previous area (thus the loop mentioned earlier is completed). However, in this corridor, you'll find the locked door. Pick it open and raid the small room for contents. The Invasion Holotape can be found in here, as well as another Stealth Boy. But perhaps most importantly, Intel #3 sits within, waiting to be found.

With the third piece of intel acquired, backtrack down the corridor to the staircase, and this time, head forward. This corridor will be quiet, though you'll be able to observe currently out-of-range Chinese tank movements in the distance to your right. Going forward, clip the Chinese soldiers you encounter and move down the linear pathway. Resistance should be light here (surprisingly), especially considering there's a table with plenty of goods on it. On this table, collect two more Missiles, a couple more Frag Grenades, yet another Frag Mine, and more Microfusion Cells. And then there's that rather conspicuous locked door to your left...

The fourth piece of intel is located directly adjacent (to the left) of the item-littered table you just encountered. A computer monitor outside of the door will give it away. Like the three intel pieces before it, the fourth piece of intel is hidden behind an easy-to-pick door. This small room contains a desk where Intel #4 can be found, as well as a couple of more Frag Grenades to add to your undoubtedly explosives-filled inventory.

After grabbing the fourth piece of intel, it's time to move on. From the table with the goods on it, head forward and up the staircase you encounter. This will lead to a lengthy linear corridor. Start by heading forward to the crate on your left, where you can heal your character and grab a couple of more Frag Grenades (you're probably swimming in those by now, no?) Then, turn your sights on the Chinese soldiers funneling down the pathway ahead, and begin sniping at them as you and Sgt. Montgomery move forward. These soldiers should provide a minimal challenge for you heading forward (the Sergeant's help makes all the difference here). When the path swings leftward towards a bunch of warheads, you know you're on the right path. Pick off the Chinese soldiers in this room as well. Heading forward from here, you'll encounter two staircases. If you do, you're on the right track.

The area with the two staircases is crawling with Chinese soldiers, so be on your guard. While our ultimate goal is to climb up either staircase to the area above, you'll first want to deal with the resistance below (this will also allow you to reach a room underneath the stairs on the right, where a heal station can be found). Then, climb the stairs, kill any remaining soldiers, and head leftward to an adjoining corridor. There's a locked door on your right once you're in the corridor, but don't get too excited, since there's no intel within (though you can grab the Overrun Holotape if you so desire). Instead, head left down the corridor, fighting more Chinese soldiers as you climb staircase and follow the linearly designed path. When you climb a staircase to find a bunch of items (like two Missiles, a Frag Grenade, two Frag Mines and some Microfusion Cells), as well as a healing station and ammunition refilling station, you know you're headed in the proper direction.

After collecting all of those goods to add to your ever-increasing inventory, it's time to proceed. The corridor beyond here will be completely empty and straight-forward, but it will ultimately lead to a pretty dangerous place indeed. When you reach a room full of warheads, even more than we earlier ran into, keep your gun at the ready. It seems like there are no enemies here, but there are. Their names are Crimson Dragoons, and they're sword-wielding foes that use stealth technology to make themselves invisible. However, they leave apparitions behind, so careful examination will reveal their locations. Once shot, they'll become visible and easily-damaged for a moment before going back to their incognito state. There are four or five of them here, so nullify the threat, and then climb into the catwalks above. Traverse the catwalks however you want -- they all lead to the same place and hold no items. When you reach the door off of the catwalks, go up the stairs beyond and through the door to the Artillery Outlook, but not before refueling your health and ammunition and grabbing even more items you won't need -- Missiles, Frag Grenades, a Frag Mine, and more Microfusion Cells. Joy.

Back out in the elements, it's time to continue our journey. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the guns we have to destroy are in our vicinity. We're almost there! The first gun is to your left, so follow the metal catwalk towards it, where Chinese soldiers will almost immediately intercept you. Kill what foes you can from the relative safety of your heightened location, and then climb down into the snow, where can deal with any remaining foes. The glowing red box on the side of the artillery cannon is where you have to set the explosives, but don't set them yet. First, go to the pillbox nearby and pillage it for goods. More Frag Grenades and Microfusion Cells can be found, as well as more refilling stations for both health and ammunition. Once stocked up, return to the place where you should set your explosives, do so, and then run back up the stairs and as far away from the gun as possible before it's set ablaze. If you're too close, you'll be killed in the explosion.

Pass the door you used to get out here in the first place, and continue down the path hugging the side of the mountain. If you deviate off of the path heading towards the gaping chasm, you will likely find a setup with some refilling stations for both ammunition and health, as well as more items totally familiar to you by now. Likewise, as you proceed up towards the Chinese stronghold where the remaining two mountain-based artillery pieces are located, you'll find even more goods strewn along the table. But you're here to take care of a job. And take care of a job, we shall.

Remember the vital principle we learned just before, at the first artillery gun. You may need a reminder here, or you may have learned the hard way already. But, it's worth repeating. Set explosives on the guns and then get the hell out of dodge, or the explosion will take you with it. While there are Chinese soldiers swarming all around (including pesky snipers and even peskier flamethrowers), keep a level head and take one gun at a time. When you've planted the explosives on one gun, run towards the other, towards safety.

When only one gun remains, you're just about in the clear. Regardless of which gun you destroyed first, you'll want to get far away for the second, even if it means seeking refuge in the debris of the gun you just destroyed. Any straggling Chinese soldiers should be taken out immediately as well, but once the third gun is destroyed, you'll be ordered to return to field headquarters. If you're confused, you won't be for long, because in this virtual reality, you'll be transported there automatically. When you do, you'll speak briefly with a man named General Chase, who won't only promote you, but give you a new mission as well. And that's where the next quest comes into play.